Clifton officials unhappy with $134K payout to retired police chief

CLIFTON – City elected officials reacted angrily Thursday when they learned the retired police chief will receive $134,000 for unused sick, vacation and compensatory time he had accrued over his 34-year career with the police department.

The payout to former chief Gary Giardina, approved by the city’s administration last week, elicited fiery remarks from some City Council members, who called for state reforms and said they had been left in the dark about the amount while preparing this year’s budget.

“In this case, the state legislature has not had the intestinal fortitude to do what’s necessary to be done,” said Mayor James Anzaldi, who supports Gov. Christie’s call for a statewide cap on sick leave.

Giardina retired May 1. He banked 2,120 hours of sick time, but because the city has a policy of paying only half of so-called “terminal leave,” he was paid for 1,060 hours. He also was paid for 182 hours of vacation, 120 hours of compensatory time and a combined 47 hours in accrued time and “equalization days.”

The 1,410 hours are being paid at a rate of $95 an hour for a total of $134,030. He will receive most of that, $115,470, this year and the rest in 2015. His final salary was $188,566.

Councilwoman Mary Sadrakula said it was “very sad” that she first learned the extent of the chief’s payout from a reporter with The Record rather than from the city administration.

“I wish we had been told,” she said. “This just proves the money is hidden all over this budget.”

City Manager Matthew Watkins, who’s out on medical leave, could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.

Sadrakula agreed with the mayor about the need for reform: “Towns can’t afford payouts like this. One of our residents comes up to the mic and says it best: ‘In private industry you use it or lose it.’”

Councilman Joe Kolodziej said the chief’s payout will be funded by a city trust fund that has about $1 million left. Kolodziej suggested that the city revive his proposal to pay out sick days as employees accrue them, rather than allow them to bank the days.

“Instead of waiting for reform, if I had colleagues on council with the guts to negotiate that into a contract, this is a way to put additional money in employees’ pockets and take a liability off the books for the taxpayers.”

Giardina told reporters he retired in part because of the prospect of state pension reforms. The former chief also said he had accomplished what he set out to do as chief and didn’t want to “collect dust.” His annual pension is $130,488.